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by their confcience) feeing his contempt for the rights of the church, and the raillery he poured upon them, fcandalized by fuch a conduct, ventured refpectfully to remonftrate to him on this behaviour, and with difficulty efcaped fuch refentment as might be expected from a capricious prince whofe power was uncontrouled by human laws.

He had even a defign to deftroy the churches, and actually had ordered fome to be pulled down; he forbade the having chapels in the houfes of God. Thus did he endeavour to opprefs the faithful, and to quench the fear of God, which Scripture affures us is the beginning of wisdom.

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From this want of zeal for God, and this fcorn of his law, proceeded a contempt of natural and civil laws; for, having an only fon, whom God has given us, the Great Duke Paul Petrowitz, he would not, when he afcended the throne, declare him his fucceffor; his caprice having views which tended to our deftruction, and that of our fon; and being defirous either entirely to fubvert the order of fucceffion eftablished by his aunt, or to deliver the country into foreign hands, in oppofition to that maxim of natural right, according to which no person can transfer to another a right which he has not received himself. Although, to our grief, we perceived his intention, we could not believe he would carry his perfecution of ourfelf and our fon to fo great a length. But all perfons of integrity perceived that his defigns to deftroy us and our fon already fhewed them felves by vifible effects; and, feeing our forbearance, they warned us fecretly that our life was in danger, to excite us to take up the weight of government. During all this time, he ceafed not to exafperate men's minds, by overthrowing all that the greateft of princes, our ancestor Peter the Great, of immortal memory, had eftablished. He defpifed the laws and tribunals of the empire; diffipated the revenue by ufelefs and hurtful expences; after a bloody war,

began another, contrary to the interefts of Ruffia; and took an unaccountable averfion to the Guards, who had faithfully ferved his predeceffors, making unjust innovations, to the difcouragement of thefe valiant foldiers.

'He entirely changed the face of the army; and it seemed as if, by dividing it into fo many parts, and giving to the troops fo many different uniforms, he was willing to make them doubt that they all belonged to the fame mafter. In fuch circumftances, it was difficult for us not to be anxious for the dangers which threatened our country, and uneafy under the perfecution which we and our fon fuffered, being almost excluded from the Imperial family; fo that all who had any affection for us, or rather courage to make it known, endangered their lives, or at least their fortunes, by fhewing us that respect which was our due as Emprefs. length his efforts to deftroy us broke out in public; and then, blaming us for thofe murmurs of which his own conduct was the caufe, his defign to take away our life was no longer concealed; of which being warned by fome faithful fubjects, who were refolved to fave their country or to die for it, we, ftrengthened by our truft in God, expofed ourselves with that courage which our country had reafon to expect, in return for it's affection for us.

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Armed, therefore, with the Divine protection, we no fooner had given our confent to thofe deputed from the nation to us, 'than all orders of flate were eager to give us proofs of their fidelity.

Scarce had we departed from Peterburgh, when he fent us two letters, one immediately following the other the firft, by our Vice-Chancellor, Prince Galitzin; the other, by General Ifmaeloff. In thefe letters he declared his willingness to refign the crown, and defired we would let him depart for Holstein with Elizabeth Woronzoff and Gudowitz. Thefe letters, filled with adulation, were fent us fome hours

after

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after he had given orders to kill us, as was reported by thofe whom he had commiffioned to execute this defign. He had it ftill, however, in his power, to refift us, by arming the Holftein troops: he could even have obliged us to grant him conditions prejudicial to our country, as he had in his power feveral perfons of diftinction, of both fexes, to fave whom we should have inclined to rifque the return of fome of the paft evils, by an accommodation.

All the perfons of diftinction about us therefore befought us to propose, that if his intention was fuch as he profeffed, he should fign a formal voluntary renunciation of the empire. We fent him this proposal by General Ifmaeloff; and, in confequence, he figned and fent us the following.

" DURING the short time of my abfolute reign, I have found that my powers were infufficient to fupport fo great a weight, or to govern fuch an empire in any manner whatfoever. Perceiving, therefore, a commotion which would have been followed by the total ruin of the empire, and my eternal infamy, on mature reflection, I declare, without constraint, in the moft folemn manner, to Ruffia and the world, that I renounce for ever the government of the empire; not defiring to reign therein as fovereign, or in any other manner whatever, or hoping to regain it by any kind of affistance. In confirmation, whereof, I take a folemn oath before God and all the world, having written and figned this renunciation with my own hand.

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Thus, by the favour of God, we have afcended the throne without effufion of blood. We affure our fubjects we will befeech the Almighty, day and night, to blefs our fceptre for the fupport of the orthodox reli-a gion: and we promife to make fuch difpofitions in the empire, that the government of the ftate may remain

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After this appeared the following declaration; on which, as well as the preceding Manifefto, our readers must judge for themselves.

• CATHARINE II. &c. &c. THE feventh day after our acceffion to the throne, we received an account, that the late Emperor Peter III. was feized with a violent hæmorrhoidal cholic, to which he was sometimes fubject. That we might not be wanting in that chriftian duty which obliges us to preferve our neighbour's life, we immediately ordered every thing neceffary to be provided him, to prevent the dangerous confequences of this accident, and restore his health by medicine; but, to our great affliction, we received advice yesterday, that by the Almighty's permiffion he was departed this life. We have therefore ordered his body to be carried to the monaftery of Newfski for interment: and we exhort all our faithful fubjects, to forget all paft grievances, and render the laft honours to his body, praying to God for the repofe of his foul; looking, in the mean time, on this unforeseen event, as the particular effect of the Divine Providence, whofe decrees prepare for us, for our throne, and country, things known only to his holy will.’

The deceased fovereign was expofed for fome days, dreffed in the Holftein uniform, with boots and fpurs, at the Newfski monaftery, a few miles from Petersburgh, to convince the people that he had not fuffered any violence.

And here let us draw the veil over tranfaction, which may appear dif ferently to different people, and of which we have before acknowledged ourfelves infufficient judges. The

maxims

maxims of state-policy, and thofeof private life, are in many cafes widely different: in the former, that may be even commendable, which nothing can in the latter excufe.

If we confider the vaft magnitude of the Ruffian empire; the diverfity of nations, laws, cuftoms, and reli. gions, of which it is compofed; with the peculiar circumftances which feated the prefent Emprefs on the throne; we fhall be aftonifhed to find that her reign has, on the whole, been fo tranquil and undisturbed.

The firft appearance of interruption was the affair of Prince Ivan, who had in his infancy been depofed by the Empress Eiizabeth. This unhappy man had from that period been kept in the ftricteft confinement; and, indeed, few people knew or believed that he was yet alive.

The following Manifefto, published by the court of Ruffia, on this occafion, will fufficiently explain the whole bufinefs.

MANIFESTO.

CATHARINE THE SECOND, BY
THE GRACE OF GOD, EMPRESS
AND SOVEREIGN OF ALL THE
RUSSIAS, &C. &C. TO ALL WHOM
THESE PRESENTS MAY CON-
CERN.

WHEN, by the Divine will, and in compliance with the ardent and unanimous defires ofour faithful fubjects, we afcended the throne of Ruffia, we were not ignorant that Ivan, fon of Anthony, Prince of Brunfwick Wolfenbuttle and the Princess Anne of Mecklenburg, was ftill alive. This prince, as is well known, was immediately after his birth unlawfully declared heir to the Imperial crown of Ruffia; but, by the decrees of Providence, he was foon after irrevocably excluded from that high dignity, and the fceptre placed in the hands of the lawful heirefs, Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, our beloved aunt of glorious memory. After we had afcended the throne, and offered up to Heaven our just thanksgivings, the firft object that employed our thoughts, in confequence of the hu

manity which is natural to us, was the unhappy fituation of that prince, who was dethroned by the Divine Providence, and had been unfortunate ever fince his birth, and we formed the refolution of alleviating his misfortunes as far as was poffible. We immediately made a vifit to him, in order to judge of his understanding and talents; and, in confequence thereof, to procure him an agreeable and quiet fituation, fuitable to his character and the education he had received. But how great was our furprize! when, befides a defect in his utterance that was uneafy to himself, and rendered his difcourfe almoft unintelligible to others, we obferved in him a total privation of fenfe and reafon. Thofe who accompanied us during this interview, faw how much our heart fuffered at the view of an object fo proper to excite compaffion; they were alfo convinced that the only measure we could take to fuccour the unfortunate prince, was to leave him where we found him, and to procure him all the comforts and conveniences of which his fituation would admit. We accordingly gave our orders for this purpose, though the ftate he was in prevented his perceiving the marks of our humanity, or being fenfible of our attention and care; for he knew nobody, could not diftinguish between good and evil, nor did he know the ufe that might be made of reading, to pass the time with less wearinefs and difguft: on the contrary, he fought after pleasure in objects that difcovered, with fufficient evidence, the diforder of his imagination.

To prevent, therefore, ill-intentioned perfons from giving him any trouble, or from making ufe of his name or orders to difturb the public tranquillity, we gave him a guàrd, and placed about his perfon two officers of the garrifon, in whose fidelity and integrity we could confide. Thefe officers were Captain Wlasseiff and Lieutenant Tichekin; who, by their long military fervices, which had confiderably impaired their health, deferved a fuitable recompence, and a ftation in which they might pafs

quietly

quietly the rest of their days: they were accordingly charged with the care of the prince, and were ftrictly enjoined to let none approach him. Yet all thefe précautions were not fufficient to prevent an abandoned profligate from committing at Schluffelburg, with unparalleled wickednefs, and at the rifque of his own life, an outrage, the enormity of which infpires horror. A fecond lieutenant of the regiment of Smolensko, a native of the Ukraine, named Bafil Mirowitz, grandfon of the first rebel that folTowed Mazeppa, and a man in whom the perjury of his ancestors feems to have been infufed with their blood; this profligate, having paffed his days in debauchery and diffipation, and being thus deprived of all honourable means of advancing his fortune; having alfo loft fight of what he owed to the law of God and of the oath of allegiance he had taken to us, and knowing Prince Ivan only by name, without any knowledge either of his bodily or mental qualities, took it into his head to make ufe of this prince to advance his fortune at all events, without being reftrained by a confideration of the bloody fcene that fuch an attempt was adapted to occafion. In order to execute this deteftable, dangerous, and defperate project, he defred, during our abfence in Livonia, to be upon guard, out of his turn, in the fortrefs of Schluffelburg, where the guard is relieved every eight days; and, on the 15th of laft month, about two o'clock in the morning, he, all of a fudden, called up the main guard, formed it into a line, and ordered the foldiers to load with ball. renikoff, governor of the fortress, having heard a noife, came out of his apartment, and afked Mirowitz the reafon of this disturbance; but received no other anfwer from this rebel than a blow on the head with the butt-end of his mufket. Mirowitz having wounded and arrefted the governor, led on his troop with fury, and attacked with fire-arms the handful of foldiers that guarded Vol. III

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Prince Ivan. But he was fo warmly received by thofe foldiers under the command of the two officers mentioned above, that he was obliged to retire. By a particular direction of that Providence that watches over the life of man, there was that night a thick mift, which, together with the inward form and fituation of the fortrefs, had this happy effect, that not one individual was either killed or wounded. The bad fuccefs of this firft attempt could not engage this enemy of the public peace to defift from his rebellious purpofe. Driven on by rage and defpair, he ordered. a piece of cannon to be brought from one of the baftions, which order was immediately executed. Captain Wlaffeiff, and his lieutenant, Tichekin, feeing that it was impoffible to refift fuch a fuperior force, and confidering the unhappy confequences that muft enfue from the deliverance of a perfon that was committed to their care, and the effufion of innocent blood that must follow from the tumults it was adapted to excite, took, after deliberating together, the only ftep that they thought proper to maintain the public tranquillity, which was to cut fhort the days of the unfortunate prince. Confidering alfo, that if they fet at liberty a prifoner, whom this defperate party endeavoured to force with fuch violence out of their hands, they ran the rifque of being punished according to the rigour of the laws, they affaffinated the prince, without being reftrained by the apprehenfion of being put to death by a villain reduced to despair. The monfter (Mirowitz) feeing the dead body of the prince, was fo confounded and ftruck at a fight he fo little expected, that he acknowledg ed that very inftant his temerity and his guilt, and difcovered his repentance to the troop, which about an hour before he had feduced from their duty, and rendered the accomplices of his crime.

Then it was, that the two officers, who had nipt this rebellion in the bud, joined with the governor of the

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fortrefa

fortrefs in fecuring the perfon of this rebel, and in bringing back the foldiers to their duty. They alfo fent to our privy-counfellor Panin, under whofe orders they acted, a relation of this event; which, though unhappy, has nevertheless, under the protection of Heaven, been the occafion of preventing till greater calamities. This fenator difpatched immediately Lieutenant-Colonel Cafèhkin, with fufficient inftructions to maintain the public tranquillity, to prevent diforder on the fpot, where the affaffination was committed; and fent us, at the fame time, a courier with a circumftantial account of the whole affair. In confequence of this, we ordered Lieutenant-General Weymarn, of the divifion of St. Peterf burgh, to take the neceflary informations upon the fpot; this he has done, and has fent us, accordingly, the interrogatories, depofitions, and the confeffion of the villain himself, who has acknowledged his crime.

Senfible of the enormity of his crime, and of it's confequences with regard to the peace of our country, we have referred the whole affair to the confideration of our fenate, which we have ordered, jointly with the fynod, to invite the three first claffes, and the prefidents of all the colleges, to hear the verbal relation of General Weymarn, who has taken the proper informations, to pronounce fentence in confequence thereof, and after that fentence has been figned, to prefent it to us for our confirmation

of the fame.

CATHARINE.'

To this it will be only neceffary for us to add, that Mirowitz was publicly executed on the 26th of September 1764.

While this event excited the attention of the Ruffians, the flames of civil war broke out with great violence in Poland; and, as the internal tranquillity of that country is an important object with Ruffia, the Emprefs fent a body of troops into Poland, and Count Poniatowski was by her influence elected to the throne.

This conduct gave fuch offence to the Grand Seignior, that he immediately imprisoned Obreskoff, the Ruffian minifter, in the Seven Towers, declared war against the Emprefs, and marched a numerous army to the confines of Poland and Ruffia.

It would lead us into too wide a field, were we to pursue the hiftory of. the war between thefe powerful empires; and we must therefore content ourselves with obferving, that the Ruflians were in general fuceefsful; that feveral attempts were at length made to negociate a peace between thefe mighty powers; and that hoftilities were repeatedly fufpended and renewed, till at length a treaty was concluded, on the 21ft of July 1774, highly honourable and advantageous to the Emprefs, who obtained the liberty of an uninterrupted navigation on the Black Sea, and a free trade with all parts of the Ottoman empire.

Before the conclufion of the war with the Turks, a very alarming rebellion broke out in Ruffia. A Coffac, named Pugatcheff, having af fumed the name and character of the late unfortunate Emperor, appeared in the kingdom of Ruffia, and pretended that he had, through an extraordinary interpofition of Providence, efcaped from the murderers who were employed to affaffinate him, and that the report of his death was an invention of the court to pacify the minds of the people. His perfon very ftrikingly refembled that of the deceafed fovereign; and as he poffeffed confiderable abilities and addrefs, his adherents foon became numerous. Indeed, they were at length fo powerful, being well armed and provided. with artillery, that they actually engaged feveral of the beft Ruffian generals at the head of large bodies of troops, and committed great depredations. He was, however, at last totally defeated; and, being taken prifoner in the engagement, was carried to Mofcow in an iron cage, where he was put to death on the 21st of January 1775.

Having thus given an account of the chief moleftations the Empress

has

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